Lone
by Astrid Goes For A Spin
Summary: "I really am the last Airbender." His people - they really were all gone. The Fire Nation had hunted them out, like animals. Soon after, he almost loses Katara and Sokka to Bato of the Water Tribe, and then, he finds out that the Northern Temple's been destroyed. "I wasn't there when the Fire Nation attacked my people. I'm gonna make a difference this time."


**This story focuses on Aang's feelings about the other Airbenders. All canon, all real. This chapter is a novelization of Relics from Avatar: The Lost Adventures. **

**It will cover: (because this story's going to be a doozy) most of Aang's feelings in Water from this point forward. Good luck, and leave a review. =) **

* * *

_Early in the Avatar's adventures…_

The village was small, basically the same color as the mountain it rested on. From above, it was virtually unnoticeable. Katara and Sokka would have glanced over it without a second thought.

Aang was different. Not only did he look closer than most people…

But these mountains…

They reminded him of _his_ mountains. The ones surrounding the Southern Air Temple. They reminded him of better times when things were safe.

It hurt to be here, but it was peaceful and comforting, too. Homelike.

It was one of those villages that didn't really care one way or another if three children were traveling together, or if one of them had bright blue arrows on his head, or if they happened to have a humongous flying bison as transport.

There weren't enough of those villages.

"Come on, Sokka! Make up your mind. We've wasted enough time here. We _have_ to be on our way to the Northern Water Tribe!"

They hadn't even made their way into the actual village yet; but Katara was annoyed because Aang had wanted to stop and she hadn't. Aang wasn't the way Katara was: once she set her mind on something it would take the world crashing down around her ears for her to change it. And him… if it was life or death serious, not even the world could change his mind. But if it was stopping for supplies they needed on the way to the North Pole, especially in these mountains, than he'd make sure to visit each village personally.

He left the two of them while they squabbled, half-hearing them in the background.

"I could use one of these!"

"_Necessary_ supplies, Sokka!"

He wasn't going anywhere, just walking quietly and listening to the difference in the air in the mountains. Smelling it, feeling it, sensing its familiarity in everything he did. His Airbending was different here, not by much, but it felt good.

"Fine and rare items! Have a look!" A merchant bedecked in green furs had a spread of wares practically at Aang's feet. He hadn't noticed. He glanced down interestedly –

_There._

He dropped to the ground, reaching out. "Look Momo," he said quietly, lowering his eyes to his treasure. How fitting. "An ancient Airbender pendant."

The siblings really had worn off on him. He was still struggling to understand it, but apparently the hundred years he'd been gone had passed quickly. The Airbenders were ancient. _He_ was ancient. But as far as logic went, his memories of the other Airbenders – his people, his family – were as recent as a few months ago.

"Ancient?" The man had a gap between the two bottom front teeth. He raised his eyebrows sardonically at Aang. "A man traded it for medicinal herbs two days ago."

There was barely time to process what he'd said before, "Didhetellyouwherehegotit? Didhehavemore? Whatdidhelooklike? Didhesaywherehe'sfrom?" His whole face was lit up, pointing to it excitedly.

"He came from the high mountain. Probably a traveler who got lost. Nobody from the nearby villages would go there. The mountain is sacred, full of flying spirits."

_Flying… spirits – _haha. He could fly, and he was a spirit, wasn't he? He was grinning, almost delirious with joy.

"This _is_ more useful than the stuff Aang's looking at," pointed out Sokka.

"Aang, are you done?" Katara stepped closer. "We need to go!"

_The mountains…_

"You sure are in a hurry to find other Waterbenders. Relax, we're almost at the North Pole," Sokka said easily that night, hunched over his dinner.

The three of them were huddled around a small fire. It was dark, and cold, and Aang had almost never felt so alone. They were there, yeah, and there might be other Airbenders. That was good. Appa breathed on him, and for the first time it occurred to Aang that Sky Bison were Airbenders, too.

"It's not for me!" protested Katara. Aang half-smiled and leaned closer to his bowl. "Aang needs a teacher and we have weeks of traveling left. The sooner we get there, the safer we'll be."

No one seemed in the mood for talking. Aang was buzzing with energy, but still pretended to get ready for bed, half-hiding his face in Appa's fur.

"Do you need a blanket?" It was one of the only things Katara had said in the past day without an edge of sharpness.

"No, I'm okay."

"Well…good night!"

He pushed his collar higher, even though he wasn't facing her. "G'night."

They fell asleep quickly. Careful not to wake Sokka – yeah, because _that's_ gonna happen – he tiptoed two hills away before he said out loud, "I'm sorry Katara. I have to look into this." A cold wind rippled his shirt, and he breathed deeply. "I'll be back before you notice I'm gone."

He took off with a burst of wind, lost in thoughts.

_Maybe I should have told Katara what I wanted to do…_

_But what if she had said no? _

It was beginning to get light in the east. Aang looked closer below with the light, tilting the glider. Nothing.

_She's been so focused on getting to the North Pole over everything else these days. Besides, she believes all the Airbenders are gone._

He dipped down into a canyon, watching his glider-shaped shadow rippling along under him.

_But I haven't given up hope. If there's one place they can hide and live, it's these mountains._

He sped up.

_I have to try and cover as much ground as I can before going back. Maybe I can convince the others to stay a bit longer if I can find –_

He gasped, his entire face lighting up. He shot downward, twirling his glider and landing hard.

He'd never felt so alone in that moment, looking up at the statue. The top of it was cracked from years of no one tending to it. The eyes looked sad.

But it was welcoming him. He'd never been so glad to see another arrow.

"A stupa!" He tried to take it in all at once. "Airbenders _were _here!"

He glanced below him –

"Those caves look man made…" He looked harder. "And there's light down there!"

He hopped down the rocks as quickly as he could, bouncing, running hard.

"That means someone's down there now!"

He reached the doorframe and steadied himself for a moment, so excited he could hardly stand up. Everything – pots, the walls, the designs, the way the bag in the corner was sewn. The statue of a monk in the corner.

"Wow! This place is full of Airbender stuff!"

He ventured in farther. "Hello?" He passed an Airbender-blue gong and a horn. _There-_

Someone, swathed in orange and yellow robes was seated facing the wall, a shadowy painting of a tattooed silhouette before him. The light was coming from two small fires, giving off small amounts of smoke, three littler ones on either side.

"_Erm…_" He tried to think of how to say what he wanted to say.

_Myname'sAangandI'? _

"Excuse me? Are you…"

He raised a hand toward the hooded figure. "I mean, do you live here? Do all these things belong to you?" It could be an Airbender, he thought. Yes, yes!

The person turned and –

"_What! _The merchant?" It was him, with a scowl augmenting his crooked, split teeth and green furs concealed in some long-dead Air Nomad's robe.

"_NOW! Get him!" _

A Fire Nation soldier appeared at the doorway, throwing a weighted net over Aang. He had a sudden memory of Sokka saying, "What? I'm not important enough to kidnap?"

They didn't know he was here!

They couldn't come for him.

He tried to block it with his staff, but it went through the netting and the man grabbed it.

Lying on the floor, Aang scowled and began picking the net off his hands, beginning to squeeze out.

A hateful voice came from above, throwing a shadow onto the wall. The merchant was removing the robes, and the faceless fire Nation Soldier had his staff in a firm grip.

"Make sure he's bound up tightly. We wouldn't want him escaping again."

"Zhao." Aang exhaled. He could still get out of this. Even if he was bound, he could do it. He could probably reach his staff –

"You're a bit far away from the sea for an admiral."

His face was cruel as he smiled at Aang. "One doesn't catch pheasant-squirrels by staying on a boat." The lines on his face darkened in pleasure in the reflecting firelight. "You hunt them where they _live_."

The merchant provided a temporary distraction as Aang managed to move most of the ropes to his torso.

"I've done my part. You said I could have all the Airbenders' relics as payment."

"Take as much of that junk as you can carry. I don't need it anymore."

Junk. He wouldn't call his own things junk.

While Aang tried to pretend he wasn't paying attention, another soldier came in, knelt, and began tightening the bonds around his chest. He could still Airbend, they weren't _that _tight…

"They served their purpose – to lead a curious Avatar right where I wanted."

He bet Zhao didn't have any family. They'd hate him.

Aang didn't know he was capable of holding such pain in him, toward this man. He wanted to cause him pain for hurting him like this – tricking him into thinking there was still hope.

"This tactic was used _many years ago_ by Fire Lord Sozin." Zhao snatched a crumbling necklace up in his fist, crushing it.

"The few Airbender that escaped his first assault were too hard to hunt down. Instead, he laid _traps _for them." Why was Aang worried about fighting the Fire Lord? Zhao…seemed worse. Airbenders were people. He was a person. They weren't…game.

"Places like these caves were made to look like they were inhabited by other Airbender refugees."

The necklace finally gave way, it's old string snapping under the weight of Zhao's brutal fingers. "Sozin fooled them used their own everyday objects as bait, luring them far enough for our soldiers to close in."

Were the Airbenders really that weak compared to Firebenders? He wasn't. But maybe that was just because he was the Avatar. Or maybe they weren't really, it was just Zhao. Or maybe they'd been ambushed –

"This old stratagem still works well enough to catch one _last_ Airbender." Zhao leaned close to Aang, still smiling menacingly. Aang raised his chin and scowled back. The ropes were holding him, a soldier at his back. He was stuck suddenly with the thought of Jinju or one of the others standing up to a man like Zhao. Jinju wouldn't have lasted. No one would have.

Not desperate and lonely and helpless like Aang.

"Your curiosity and lack of knowledge of our military history proved your downfall."

Downfall? Aang forced his face into a grin. Actually, he was anticipating this as the soldier suddenly yanked at his bonds.

" 'Lack of knowledge.' I bet you don't know anything about Air Nomads or what any of these objects are." He raised an eyebrow. "My turn to give you a quick history lesson."

He spun, creating a whirlwind that flung the soldier holding the ropes around his torso off his feet.

"_IDIOTS! HOLD HIM!" _

Zhao fired at him, but he was ready. Already halfway through an Airbending-aided aerial cartwheel, Zhao's blast snapped the ropes around his legs.

He landed at the horn he'd seen earlier, and grinned hard, remembering things from a century earlier. "Ever heard one of these horns…" He took a deep, deep breath. "When an Airbender plays it?"

Sound and Airbending shot out in a concentrated wave, knocking down the two soldiers and causing Zhao's topknot to wiggle. He shielded his head, then, "_ENOUGH! _I'll bring your charred remains to the Fire Lord!"

Well, as much as he didn't want to die, he didn't want to hurt the Water Tribe. That would be rather redundant. And anyway, who would teach the next Avatar Airbending if he was gone?

He squatted on a dorje, still in pristine condition. "Hey, Zhao!" he called cheerfully. "Ever seen one of _these?_" He was almost laughing.

"Curious to find out what it can do?" He narrowed his eyes in mirth. Zhao was taken aback, disgusted, almost.

"The dorje was used in rituals, but my friends and I found out that if you spun them too hard inside a room, _this _would happen!"

The monks had been so angry at them for that one, but Gyatso had done it himself the next day. The two soldiers were thrown to the side as Aang leapt off, powering it in circles with Airbending. The merchant was clutching his face in terror, while Zhao looked on in horror.

Aang followed the path of destruction, then managed to snap his teeth around his staff.

"Gotta go," he called as he ran out, slipping the ropes off. "Don't worry, it will schtop by itshelf!"

Just as he took off, he heard the merchant say, "Did you know that pot on your head is a genuine Airbender's c-"

"Shut up."

He had to get back. So he flew hard. Katara _didn't _need to know he'd been out at all. It wasn't until he'd been airborne for a few minutes that he realized something.

He really was the last Airbender.

He'd just been lured into an elaborate and enticing and all-around heartbreaking trap that the Fire Nation had laid for him with his own people's things. Things that should have been his peoples. In use.

It was daybreak, when the sun was coming up for real, when he made it back. He snapped his glider closed and stood silently on the cliffside, looking into the mountains.

He missed them so _much._

"_Careful, Katara!" _He could hear Sokka running behind him. "If Aang has disappeared, that could mean we're surrounded by Fire Nation forces! _Well-hidden_ Fire Nation soldiers, waiting to ambush us when our backs are turned and-"

"_There he is!"_

He could hear Katara coming closer. He'd never wanted to be away from her more. Alone. Just like he was in the world.

"Aang?"

"See? He's okay. You worry too much."

"What are you doing out here? We were looking for you." He wasn't that far away. He could handle himself, he'd just proven that.

"Wait, I think I know."

His head slumped. Why did she have to be so understanding? All he wanted to do was stand here and cry.

"This place reminds you of home, right?"

Sokka was snarling at Katara's sympathy.

"All these mountains…Airbenders would have loved to stay here."

They'd caught up to him, Katara's hands resting on his shoulder. He'd never realized how big his staff was for him. It fit properly, but when it was a staff, it seemed so long and unwieldy. Just like him. He was out of place.

"Yeah," he mumbled, closing his eyes. "A few of them probably _were._"


End file.
